Our secret fears — morning meditation

What is a morning meditation? To help me build a habit of daily writing, I’m publishing a few thoughts here every morning about ideas that interest and inspire me, mostly drawn from ordinary life. I hope you enjoy them.
We all carry secret fears — those dark, irrational “what-if”’s that cling to us like shadows in moments both strong and weak. What if everyone’s just pretending to respect me? What if people secretly think I’m weird? What if I’m actually no good at this?
I’ve spent a lot of time exploring my secret fears these past few weeks and even more time leaning into the raw, tender acceptance of all the things I don’t want to be. Career transitions, especially big, public, vulnerable ones, have a way of doing that to a person. Throughout all of this, I’ve discovered an important and astonishing paradox.
The more I share my secret fears and vulnerabilities, the more they begin to feel like strength.
It is terrifying to do this! Oh, it is terrifying! It steals my breath. But it is strange and strong and wonderful, too. I am still searching for the words to describe whatever this feeling is. The closest I’ve come so far are these words from my journal last night:
[It feels] like new skin, pink and raw. I peeled my outer layers back before the world, and the world exhaled. I can feel its breath upon this new skin even now.
Another thing is happening, too. Other people come to me and tell me they’re afraid of exactly the same things. Our life experiences are vastly different, yet we carry the same wounds, the same insecurities, the same false belief that we are not enough as we are. And here I thought I was the only one!
So I challenge you to ponder these questions: What are you secretly afraid of? What vulnerable parts of yourself do you keep under lock and key? What would it feel like to give them light and air instead?
What if those deep, dark, secret fears you carry are actually the seeds of your greatest strengths?
